Entrepreneurship for the Public Good – Cohort 10

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Tag Archives: Personal Engagement

“Passion rebuilds the world for the youth. It makes all things alive and significant”.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

For the past two days our group has worked both effectively and diligently with the Upward Bound youth here at Berea College. The Upward Bound program is based on giving fundamental support to participants in their preparation for college. It centers on serving students of low-income households that have tremendous academic talent and possess the desire to succeed.

Our position within the program was to facilitate exercises that center on personal development and understanding purpose. These exercises we completed have been from two insightful books. One being Work on Progress and the other, Business Model You. Each literary work provides useful activities that stimulate both critical thinking and the opportunity to recognize talents and achievements. Although, these exercises are mainly for college students and people already active in their professions, the high school students we conducted thrived in each activity.

Together, our group observed their growth over two days. We can honestly say that youth are somewhat underestimated. The reason for this is because at times we as people may have the assumption that a high school student is too young and lacks the maturity to comprehend specific teachings and therefore uses them to no avail. This illogical reasoning is untrue. In just a short period of time with these students there has been remarkable achievement and appreciation for such learning.

It is not learning merely in a lecture way but rather with personal engagement. The quote mentioned above symbolizes our learning as facilitators. Passion is the intangible feeling that drives us as human beings. When youth are passionate about what they are doing they tend to make understanding of even the most complex ideas. Through this simple appreciation, students are able to learn more and the teachings that once were of boredom become meaningful.